Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he wanted to solve the dispute around the Northern Territories - a Japanese term for Iturup, Shikotan, Kunashir and Habomai Islands, boost friendly relations between Moscow and Tokyo as well as sign a peace treaty between the two nations.
"I would like to promote the joint work to find a mutually acceptable solution as well as move forward the talks step by step. I will firmly seek to solve the territorial dispute and sign the peace treaty," he said.
"First of all, it is important to boost friendly and trust-based relations between the peoples of Japan and Russia so that the four islands will become the islands of friendship," Sputnik cited Abe as saying.
